Opinion: Each of us can choose the legacy we leave

On Feb. 2, in Clermont County, two police officers came under fire when responding to a call that was believed to be an attempted suicide. Instead, it turned out to be an ambush. The gunman lured Lt. Nick DeRose and Detective Bill Brewer into his home where he proceeded to fire at both deputies through a wall. Lt. DeRose was injured, and Detective Brewer gave his life in the line of duty.

Twenty-year veteran Detective Brewer died trying to help a member of his community, as he always strived to do. At the moving memorial service at Mt. Carmel Christian Church in Batavia, a handsome photo was shown of Bill in front of the U.S. flag, wearing his uniform displaying the patch of Ohio. His wedding ring on his finger is out in front – a priority his wife, Jamie, and son, Braxton, understood. The image was meaningful to me, as an embodiment of what Bill Brewer stood for: God, family, and country. He lived his life – and ultimately gave his life – for the community he loved.

At a time when the challenges we face as a nation can be daunting and the 24-hour news cycle seems to feed on darkness, our local heroes here in Ohio’s Second District are one of the places I find hope. Whether it’s our law enforcement officers, faith communities, teachers, emergency responders, small business owners, local nonprofits – our communities are full of people who care. People who give of themselves to make other people’s lives a little better, a little brighter, a little safer. People who see problems and solve them. People who are willing to sacrifice for what they believe in – for God, family, and country.

I think of these folks as the "heroes next door." We each know someone like this. They aren’t likely to have their names printed in history books, but they have a profound impact on those around them simply through their legacies of lives well lived, in service of others.

At the end of the day, we each have the power to choose the legacy we will leave. How will we be remembered? For most of us, it isn’t a single grand rendezvous with destiny that ends up defining our lives. It’s the little moments – taking the time to tuck your kids in at night, sitting around the table with people you love, volunteering for something you care about, taking time out of your schedule to be there for someone who is sick, or struggling, or lonely. These seemingly small choices, day in and day out, to live with integrity, stay true to our principles, be there for each other, are the ones that add up over a lifetime to determine the legacy we leave behind.

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While God has called Bill Brewer away from us, the positive effects of his works in this lifetime shall never perish. As Sheriff Steve Leahy said in the eulogy at Detective Brewer’s funeral, where hundreds from the community came to pay their respects: "The wounds caused by Bill’s sudden death will never completely heal and the void cannot be completely filled. All we can do is honor him by carrying on his legacy and leading our lives as an example for others to follow."

I am deeply thankful for Bill Brewer, and those like him who lived, and died, in the service of others. It’s an honor and a challenge to try to follow in their footsteps.

U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Columbia Tusculum, is a doctor and a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.